Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stake Reduced by Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bank cut its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,358 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,181 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 0.9% of Sandy Spring Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $17,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 47,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,515,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $433,000. Aspiriant LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 22,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. now owns 145,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,855,000 after purchasing an additional 6,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. now owns 2,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total transaction of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,099,078.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,099,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $144.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $348.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.82. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $143.39 and a 52 week high of $175.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.39 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 37.27% and a net margin of 37.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.31.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.